#21DayShred
Training
When performing your squats keep your line of sight straight ahead, focusing on a logo on your t-shirt in the chest area will ensure you keep your chest ‘up’ and your torso as upright as possible, preventing your back from rounding.
Nutrition
Don't forget to add one portion of starchier carbohydrates such as quinoa, sweet potato or brown rice into your post workout meal.
An intensive training program developed by leading Personal Trainers Adam Stansbury and Ben Lauder-Dykes, ‘The 21-Day Shred‘ will help you to shred body fat, build muscle and transform your body in just 21 days. Download a copy »
Day Two Diary
#21DayShred
Training
The Deadlift starts at the bottom from a dead-stop position. To prevent momentum assisting the movement, don’t bounce the bar off the floor as this will enable a longer time under tension. No pain, no gains...
Nutrition
Don't be tempted to skip your morning and afternoon snacks. For something quick and sustaining, add a scoop of protein powder and a chia shot to a small pot of 0% greek yoghurt.
Day Three Diary
#21DayShred
Training
To help with any muscle soreness experienced after Day 1 and 2, try foam rolling the target areas. This will relieve some of the discomfort and help to increase blood flow to the sore areas. For hard to reach areas that may feel tighter or more knotted, use a tennis ball to roll them out, increase the density of the ball as the soreness improves.
Nutrition
All of your basic meals should focus on nutrient density using protein, vegetables, fats and fruits. A snack, for example, is can be as easy as some biltong and a handful of berries.
Day Four Diary
#21DayShred
Training
If your triceps are particularly strong, take a wider grip on your bench press to avoid having them take over the movement, forcing your chest to do the work.
Nutrition
It is essential that you learn how to portion control your food. As a general rule of thumb, women should aim for one palm-sized portion and men two palm-sized portions of protein, veg, nuts and berries at each meal.
Day Five Diary
#21DayShred
Training
When performing the Barbell Military Press, stand with one foot behind the other with your heel raised. This will help to protect your lower back, preventing excessive arching and will force you to engage your core.
Nutrition
For a super shake that's quick to prepare and easily transported, blend a scoop of vanilla protein powder with flaxseed oil, cashew butter and water, and you're good to go!
Day Six Diary
#21DayShred
Training
If you suffer from shoulder problems, feel free to substitute the Weighted Dips for Narrow Bench Presses. It will take some of the pressure off your shoulder while still hitting the triceps.
Nutrition
Protein shakes provide a convenient source of essential amino acids and provide an easy and convenient way to for you to meet your energy requirements for this macronutrient. Remember to have a shake within an hour after finishing your workout each day!
#21DayShred
Training
It's the weekend, so use your rest day to get out of the gym and to enjoy sociable activity, like playing a game of badminton, rounder’s or throwing a frisbee with friends.
Nutrition
If the sun's out, get outside and make the most of it by barbecuing some homemade turkey burgers served with broccoli, avocado and cherry tomatoes.
Day Eight Diary
#21DayShred
Training
In your Dumbbell Alternating Lunges, make sure this movement is more ‘escalator’ than ‘elevator’, forwards and down then back and up to return to the starting position.
Nutrition
When adding a portion of carbohydrates into your post-training meal, we recommend either a portion of brown rice, quinoa, sweet potato, fruits or honey.
Day Nine Diary
#21DayShred
Training
When performing both the barbell glute raises and the dumbbell glute raises, make sure that you pause at the top of the movement with a strong contraction of the glutes, extending your hips forward as far as possible without engaging the lower back.
Nutrition
You should take a full spectrum multi-vitamin throughout the program to ensure you meet all your micronutrient needs while reducing your nutritional intake and creating a negative energy balance.
Day Ten Diary
#21DayShred
Training
To help with any muscle soreness experienced, why not try foam rolling the target areas, this will relieve some of the discomfort and help to increase blood flow to the sore areas. For hard to reach areas that may feel tighter or more knotted, use a tennis ball to roll them out, increase the density of the ball as the soreness improves, to maybe a hockey ball or golf ball if you can take it!
Nutrition
For dinner this evening, try steaming a fillet of salmon and serve with ginger and stir fried vegetables.
Day Eleven Diary
#21DayShred
Training
When performing the barbell row keep the elbows pointing towards the ceiling throughout the movement, pull the bar into belly button and imagine holding a pencil between your shoulder blades at the top of the movement.
Nutrition
There are a lot of claims about the powerful effects of Omega 3 especially for fat loss. We recommend consuming 90-180g of fatty fish (good quality and source) to meet your daily requirements and if not you can supplement, but you would only require a small dose.
Day Twelve Diary
#21DayShred
Training
When performing the straight arm pull down use either a straight bar or rope attachment (for extra contraction) and make sure you keep your chest puffed out to avoid using the shoulders and focus on using your lats to pull the weight down towards your waist.
Nutrition
For today's breakfast, scramble some eggs with red onions, tomatoes and green beans.
Day Thirteen Diary
#21DayShred
Training
When performing the Barbell Push Press, make sure you sit your hips back when dipping and driving with the legs. This will stop your knees shooting forwards and make it easier to transfer that momentum though the body and against the bar.
Nutrition
It is essential that you learn how to portion control your food and how to build your meals from a very basic point of view, rather than getting bogged down in calorie counting.
Day Fourteen Diary
#21DayShred
Training
This is the ideal day to schedule in some deep tissue sports massage, to help with your recovery before the next week in the gym, this will improve performance and function of the muscles thus potentially increasing strength and lean muscle tissue.
Nutrition
Whizz up a super shake for your mid-morning snack today with chocolate protein powder, 1 tbsp greek yoghurt, 1 tbsp ground flaxseed and 1 tbsp almond butter.
Day Fifteen Diary
#21DayShred
Training
To perform the dumbbell hack squat hold a pair of dumbbells by your side with your heels raised on two weight plates on the floor, this increases the depth of the squat by reducing the range of movement needed in both calf and ankle.
Nutrition
There is evidence to support that short-term supplementation of Creatine Monohydrate can increase power and performance in high intensity anaerobic repetitive work (periods of work and rest) by 5-15%. We recommend you take 3-5g of Creatine pre or post workout.
Day Sixteen Diary
#21DayShred
Training
Push your toes away to when performing the leg curls, this will minimise recruitment of the gastrocnemius and place more load through the hamstrings.
Nutrition
For a snack to take on the run, grab 50g of deli meat and a handful of blueberries!
#21DayShred
Training
Hot baths and restful sleeps are the order of the day today, have a long hot bath to relax in the evening, drinking camomile tea and taking a form of pre bed magnesium, get to bed early for maximum recovery and ready for the last part of week 3.
Nutrition
For a high protein, low carb take on fajitas, stir fry some Biltong and veg and serve in a lettuce leaves.
Day Eighteen Diary
#21DayShred
Training
When doing the front squats, keeping your elbows high will help you engage and maintain a strong midline throughout the movement.
Nutrition
Pan fry a chicken breast and serve with walnut, apple and rocket salad for your lunch today.
Day Nineteen Diary
#21DayShred
Training
To perform the incline reverse dumbbell fly, set an adjustable bench at an angle of around 45 degrees and lie face down with your chest at the top of the bench so that your head and face are free. Then whilst maintaining a slight bend in each elbow contract the middle back muscles as you move your arms out to your side.
Nutrition
For an afternoon snack that's also a treat, have an OM Bar with frozen berries and walnuts.
Day Twenty Diary
#21DayShred
Training
One of the biggest principles for fat loss is workout density, stick to the 10 sec rest between exercises where stated to best achieve this. No pain, no gain…
Nutrition
On training days, you can include fruit as your source of carbohydrates. Pineapple, melon, bananas make great post workout carbohydrate sources due to higher levels of fructose (fruit sugar).
Day Twenty-One Diary
#21DayShred
Training
Take the training and nutritional strategies you have now learned and apply them to future workouts whenever you need or you could recycle the 21 Day Shred again, starting with week 1 and focusing on lifting heavier loads with each workout.
Nutrition
Celebrate the end of program with Thai Green Chicken Curry made with a variety of vegetables with 200ml coconut milk and curry paste.